Jurgen Klopp has made it clear he wants a new midfielder. Unfortunately for the Liverpool boss, so has Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have won the race for Moises Caicedo, signing the 21-year-old from Brighton for a British record £115m on a long-term contract until 2031. They also haven’t relented in pursuit of Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, who is to undergo a medical ahead of a £55m transfer – Liverpool had earlier seen three bids rejected for the Belgian teenager.
Liverpool may find themselves forced to look elsewhere in their search for midfield reinforcements, but thankfully for Klopp, there is plenty of quality still out there.
Here are ten alternatives for Liverpool to consider.
Age: 21
Club: Everton
Amadou Onana has attracted plenty of attention from teams towards the top of the Premier League table, and with good reason. The Belgian is simply far too good to play for a struggling Everton side.
Still only 21 years old, Onana is a well-rounded machine capable of inserting himself into any midfield on the planet and performing at a high level.
Everton paid £33m to sign Onana last summer and would demand a healthy profit to sell, particularly to their fiercest rival, but a deal should still be well within Liverpool’s price range.
Age: 20
Club: Red Bull Salzburg
Flying under the radar out in Austria is French youngster Lucas Gourna-Douath, who opted to head away from the spotlight to hone his craft after emerging as one of the game’s top young talents with Saint-Etienne.
With over 100 senior appearances to his name, Gourna-Douath is far more experienced than his age would suggest. He’s comfortable on the biggest stage, famously bossing the midfield battle against Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain in January 2021, and would have no problems taking his talents to Anfield.
An elite defence-screener, Gourna-Douath is destined to return to Europe’s top leagues soon enough and Liverpool would be wise to grab him while he’s at his cheapest.
Age: 22
Club: Borussia Monchengladbach
Liverpool were looking at Manu Kone earlier this summer and would be wise to reignite that interest.
At 22, Kone is another with far more senior minutes than you’d expect and he’s just managed his most impressive season to date, proving to be a defensive monster with a real ability to turn defence into attack.
Gladbach will always listen to sensible offers for their stars, so Liverpool may not even need to work that hard to get this done.
Age: 22
Club: Nice
Another previous target, it looked like Khephren Thuram was going to end up at Liverpool last month but the Nice midfielder is still waiting for his big move.
Perhaps more attack-minded than many on this list, Thuram has the potential to be a real wrecking ball of a midfielder under Klopp, who would undoubtedly utilise the Frenchman’s imposing physique to make him a menace at both ends of the field.
Thuram has just enjoyed his best season and is quickly blossoming into a star in Ligue 1. His stock will only rise beyond this summer.
Age: 23
Club: Nice
While scouts are looking at Nice, they should start compiling reports on the indefatigable Hicham Boudaoui.
The Algeria international has an immense engine but also boasts a fascinating knowledge of how to use that in a number of different positions, including in both defensive midfield and even out on the wing, such is the variation in his skillset.
Boudaoui’s intelligence sets him apart from a number of players in this position and would provide Klopp’s midfield with another valuable weapon.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
Age: 25
Club: PSV Eindhoven
At 25, Ibrahim Sangare is the oldest player on this list, but he’d slot in perfectly among Liverpool’s emerging core.
A former teammate of a certain Cody Gakpo, Sangare is a tall powerhouse who loves crunching tackles and sparking attacks before opponents have the opportunity to catch their breath. He brings a well-rounded skillset which would fit well into Klopp’s system.
Clubs of all different sizes are beginning to sniff around Sangare as they sense a potential bargain. Liverpool need to add their name to that list.
Age: 23
Club: Real Madrid
Look, this is a highly unlikely transfer. We know that. Real Madrid love Aurelien Tchouameni and he’s happy in Spain…but Liverpool do have the £111m they wanted to spend on Caicedo knocking about.
Would that be enough to earn a conversation with Bernabeu chiefs? Perhaps not, but it could be worth a try. There’s a surplus of talent in Madrid’s midfield and they may begrudgingly accept the chance to make a profit on the 23-year-old.
Klopp was desperate to sign Tchouameni before he moved to Spain and should be crossing his fingers tightly that the Frenchman becomes available once again.
Age: 23
Club: Chelsea
By pursuing both Caicedo and Lavia, it appears Chelsea don’t see a whole lot of value in Conor Gallagher, but their loss should be Liverpool’s gain.
Gallagher enjoyed a sensational showing as the defensive anchor in Chelsea’s midfield during their Premier League opener against Liverpool, giving Klopp and up-close-and-personal showing of just what he can do.
The 23-year-old feels tailor-made for Liverpool’s style of play and may be available for an affordable price if Chelsea pull the trigger on their other expensive targets.
Age: 23
Club: Benfica
Florentino was a star in Benfica’s midfield last season, forming a dominant partnership with Enzo Fernandez before the latter’s January switch to Chelsea.
What made Fernandez look so good was Florentino’s willingness to do all the ugly work and give out all the credit. The Portugal youth international is an exceptional ball winner who loves tackling and playing with the ball at his feet.
Still under contract for another four years, Florentino will undoubtedly be a costly option, but there are few better if Klopp is looking for a true anchor.
Age: 24
Club: Monaco
Youssouf Fofana has spent the past few years quietly emerging as one of Ligue 1’s most dependable midfielders – an ascension which was rewarded with a regular spot in the French national team.
Fofana may not be a specialist in any particular aspect of the game, but instead, he is comfortable in all of them. A real plug-and-play expert, Fofana will do the ugly tackling, focus on passing or let his silky dribbling skills out whenever asked to do so.
With two years left on his contract (one plus a further 12-month club option which will undoubtedly be triggered), Fofana could be a real bargain in today’s market.
LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN’S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST
On this week’s edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss the ever-changing Moises Caicedo saga, Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich and more!
If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
